Yes, Knowledge and Leadership Matters but You Knew that, Didn’t You?!

(ThyBlackMan.com) (“Excerpts from the book titled, “The Fix This Time”). The Holy Bible states this: Ecclesiastes 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.

Scripture could not be more accurate in its analysis of the current state of affairs of the United States when it states the above. The African American community and the United States are suffering and have been suffering from, and for sometime poor leadership and a lack of knowledge. For how can you successfully proceed forward without knowledge. The reason that Mr. Trump was elected to the office of the presidency resulted from Democrats abandoning their core constituency, which was the American middle class when it came to jobs, job creation and the exportation of good paying jobs to low wage labor markets like, China and India without seeking reciprocity.

While reciprocity may appear to be some what of a big word, it simply means this; if I trade with you, and let us use China as an example because it ran a $347 billion dollar trade deficit with the United States last year, the benefits should be mutually enjoyed, which is not the case. China has consistently ran trade deficits with the United States over the last several years. So, the United States as a nation should sat down with China and ask what can I sell you to reduce this overwhelming imbalance in trade. In other words, you are selling me more then I am selling you as a country on a consistent basis. The United States trade negotiator should say, if I am able to correct this imbalance, then new jobs can be created in the United States based upon the industries that would be created selling you products to help balance this $347 billion dollars deficit.

This does not necessarily mean the United States has to sell the exact same amount of goods or $347 billions of goods to China but it does means the object of the negotiations would be to reduce that deficit. However, the asininity of our trade relationships with China and other low wage countries is that manufacturers from the United States are closing down factories with good paying jobs in our country and opening up those same factories in places like China and India and are shipping back the finished products to U.S. citizens for them to purchase. This in part accounts for the deficit. These companies are doing this without suffering any repercussions.

So, many of the problems facing the United States have not grown out of natural market forces; they are the results of deliberate decisions of businesses and corporations here in America, operating in what they see as their best interest. As such, the economic headwinds facing American workers can be dealt with by forcing them to make better decisions. The outcome of corporations, businesses and the wealthy taking control of national politics through large political donations, is the economic decision that led to the wholesale exportation of good paying jobs to low wage labor markets. Thus, the fact that wealth was pushed to the top 10-20 percent of our population because of political policies and decisions should not be surprising. This is what wealthy individuals, businesses and corporations set out to accomplish and they have been very successful because this is our new reality.

The paramount question facing this nation and indeed, the American worker is how to best push money back down to the 80 percent in an organized and consistent way to create consumer demand and grow our economy. With the wealthy, businesses and corporations in control of both political parties and national politics, it would be highly unlikely to see any legislation come out of Congress that resembles a tax increase that would claw back money that has already gone to the top. As a matter of fact, what we are more likely to see is legislation that results “in pushing even more money to the top 10 to 20 percent, as with Mr. Trump and the Republican Party Tax Bill.” Of course, proponents of this approach will use the old political refrain; “the nation needs to put more money into the hands of the wealthy, businesses and corporations “to create wealth for the 80 percent” when it comes to jobs and economic growth.”

However, the reality of this trickle down money policy, having been pursued beginning with the Ronald Reagan administration, has brought us to this place, as the wealthy, businesses and corporations took control of our political process. The end results of their control are, the spending of the Social Security trust fund money; the saving and loan scandal; the 2008 Great Recession; the understating of America’s unemployment rates; the transfer of wealth stored up in the ownership of homes moved to the balance sheets of banks and then to wealthy financial groups; trade agreements that proved to be unfair to average American workers; the exportation of American consumer demand to low wage nations with no reciprocation and lower wage replacement jobs for American workers.

As stated above this is not new. It comes down to good leadership. And good leadership has been an issue since the beginning of time. After all, there is nothing new under the sun. Adam abandoned his leadership role, when Eve persuaded him to eat the forbidden apple. And Christ Himself, confronted church leaders of His day for rejecting their responsibilities and for distorting the word of God. So, good leadership matters! You ask how can you, DO SOMETHING NOW about this issue! Well, you first have to stop being driven by events. You, yourself must start driving events. To do that, you must come up with or support coherent solutions; alternatives to their plan. You cannot retreat into the fetal position of doing nothing, which is what many people are doing. Business, corporations and the wealthy and influential have already decided what’s in their best interest and that is to continue what they are doing. If not contained in some manner, you as the average American worker will suffer.

You see, their best interest and the best interest of American workers are on a collision course. If I were keeping score – I would say they are winning right now because they are controlling the narrative! After all, Mr. Trump just got his Tax Bill passed by the Senate, which promises to push even more money to the top 20 percent.

Staff Writer; James Davis

This brother is a leading expert and consultant in Financial Analysis and Social Dynamics. He is a graduate of Florida A. and M. University(FAMU), a former stockbroker, and a human rights activist who resides in Sanford, Florida. He was awarded the prestigious Governor Haydon Burns Scholarship to attend FAMU and while at FAMU was awarded the first Martin Luther King Scholarship. He is the author of three books, among them is “The Fix This Time,” Boost Your Retirement Income! Simultaneously Create Jobs and Spur Consumer Demand (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MI3PD2M).